DR.
DAVID D. HELM JR. was born in Camden NJ on May 31, 1895 to David and
Barbara Helm. The Helm family had been in Camden as early as 1867. David
Helm Sr. was a butcher, and his grandfather, Charles Blaine, was also a
butcher was his uncles Harry and Walter Helm. The David Helm family
lived at 413 Walnut
Street in Camden at the time of the 1900 Census, Harry and Walter
Helm lived next door at 415 Walnu.
Grandparents Charles and Louisa lived at 31 North
3rd Street at that time, along with five adult children- daughters
Mary Clara, and Emily; and sons Joseph and George, who also worked as
butchers in the family business. Another son of Charles Helm, Dr.
Charles Blaine Helm, appears to have been away at school at that
time. He would become a veterinarian in the city of Camden, serve as the
city's purchasing agent in the 1920s, and also was the co-owner of the
1919-1920 Eastern Basketball League championship team, the Camden
Crusaders.

When
he registered for the draft on June 5, 1917 David Helm had received his
doctorate. he was still single, and still lived at 413 Walnut
Street
in Camden.

David
Helm married around 1924. His wife Lizzett soon bore a son, Albert
Harry, late in 1925. When the census was taken in 1930, Dr. Helm was
working as the health inspector for the city of Camden. The family then
lived at 514 Spruce
Street. The family was still at that address in 1947. By this time
Dr. Helm held the title of Director of the city's Board of Health, a
title previously held by Dr.
Arthur L. Stone, who had passed in 1945. As
director of Camden's health department, Dr. David Helm added pertussis
and tetanus immunization to the city clinics and school program and
eliminated rabies from the area, through rigid control of stray dogs. He
wporked closely with long-time health department clerk Lewis
Lee.

Dr.
Helm appears to have moved to Audubon NJ by 1956. His son followed him
into medicine. Dr. Albert Harry Helm was assistant cardiologist at
Cooper Hospital in the mid-1950s.

World
War I Draft Registration Cardsfor David and Charles
Helm

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on Image to Enlarge

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on Image to Enlarge

Camden
Courier-Post - June 24, 1933

Stricken
by
Food in
Camden Factory

Two
girl employees of the RCA Victor Company who are among nearly
100 persons suffering from ptomaine poisoning as the result of
eating from "box lunches." Miss Clara Schaeffer, left,
of Gloucester, and Miss Violetta Brown, Brooklawn, were confined
to their beds at their homes last night after receiving
treatment at
Cooper
Hospital.

60 OVERCOME WHILE AT WORK INRCA VICTOR; PROBE STARTEDNew
York Ship Employees Sent to Hospital From Ptomaine

More
than 60 of the workers, stricken at their machines in. the RCA Victor
Company plants, were rushed to the company's dispensary and local
hospitals. Many are reported in serious condition.

At
the New York Shipbuilding Company others became ill after partaking of
the lunches. Four are in West. Jersey
Homeopathic Hospital recovering from the effects of the poisoned
food. At least three more were stricken at the leather plant of the John
R. Evans Company, Second and Erie Streets.

In
Philadelphia more than a score of laundry workers were carried to
physicians and hospitals, all said to be victims of contaminated foods.

Physicians
believed all would recover.

Dr.
David D. Helm, city sanitary inspector, believed the ptomaine
condition resulted from the eating of egg sandwiches.

Following
the quizzing, Konst was ordered to refrain from further selling of the
box lunches in Camden, pending the result of an investigation. He also
must obtain complete approval from the Philadelphia Board of Health
before being allowed to resume operations here.

The
boxes, distributed by Konst, are labeled "The Majestic Lunch."
Konst declared that never before had complaint reached him as to the quality of his food.

"I
have ordered distribution of Majestic Lunches in Camden be stopped," Dr.
Helm said, "until the investigation
has been completed and the health authorities in Philadelphia to whom
all evidence will be given because they supervise this company, give
them a clean bill of health."

Two
of the box lunches have beenobtained by police and will be chemically analyzed
today by order of Dr.
A. L.
Stone, city health officer.

Konst
assured police he would assist in any manner possible to learn the
source and nature of the foodstuff causing the illness.

Woman
First Victim

'The
first illness occurred shortly after 3 p. m. at the RCA Victor plant. A
young woman was overcome after partaking of a glass of water. She was
taken to the dispensary where Dr. Reuben L. Sharp said she was suffering
from ptomaine poisoning.

Within
a short time several other girls and men in various sections of the
plant were stricken. Some fainted at their machines and had to be
carried to the dispensary.

Soon
Dr. Sharp and his staff of nurses had more than, they could handle.
Private automobiles were pressed into service and many of the victims
taken to Cooper
Hospital,
where stomach pumps were used to clear their bodies of the poisonous
food.

One
man, B. H. Poole, 40, of
144 North Sixtieth street, Philadelphia, was admitted and
his condition described as serious.

Others
were treated and sent to their homes, where many were at­tended last
night by their personal physicians.

Girl
Describes Scene

Miss
Clara. Shaeffer, 19, of
226 South Fifth Street, Gloucester, employed at the RCA Victor, told of
the scenes near her shortly before she became ill and was rushed to Cooper
Hospital for treatment.

"I
saw many of the girls running upstairs to the restroom," Miss
Schaeffer said at her home, where she is confined to bed, "but paid
little attention to them, although several had to be assisted upthe steps.

"Suddenly
I felt sick at my stomach and had a desire for a drink of
water.
I asked the girl next to me to get me a drink, but she was unable to
leave her machine at the time and Iwalked
to the fountain.

"After
taking the drink everything seemed to whirl about and Ithought
Iwas
going to faint. I told my foreman and he ordered me taken to the
dispensary.

"When
Iarrived
there the place was filled and someone took me to Cooper
Hospital, where the doctor gave me some medicine and I was taken to
my home."

Miss
Schaeffer said she grew worse after she arrived home and her parents
summoned a physician.

Fall
at Machines

Others
told similar stories of the scenes as worker after worker was stricken.
Plant officials said many had fallen where they stood, the ptomaine
attack seizing them so suddenly they had no time to summon aid.

Konst
told Detectives Benjamin Simon
and John Opfer that he sells
more than 200 box lunches in Camden daily. He has agents at the RCA
plants, New York Shipyard and at the leather companies.

He
also
sells more than 500 box lunches daily in Philadelphia.

The
lunch yesterday was made up of a cheese sandwich, an egg and lettuce
sandwich, a piece of apple pie, cupcake and fruit. Some of the lunches
contained tuna fish sandwiches.

Man's
Condition Serious

According
to Dr.
Helm,
all of those taken ill had eaten the egg sandwiches, some had partaken
of the tuna fish and others of the cheese.

One
man became ill when he ate half an egg sandwich given him by afellow
employee late in the afternoon.

The
laundry workers affected were employed at the Forrest Laundry, 1225
West Columbia Avenue, Philadelphia.

One
of these, John Gilligan, 52, of 1923
East Willard Street, was taken to St.
Luke's and Children's Homeopathic Hospital in a critical
condition.

Police
were checking other hospitals to learn if additional victims were
unreported.

Camden
Courier-Post - June 24, 1933

Partial
List Of Poisoned

A
partial list of the nearly 100
persons
poisoned by food at local factories yesterday follows:

Camden's
drive against unlicensed ice dealers last night netted two alleged
violators of the city ordinance.

On
complaint of Dr. David D.
Helm,
city health inspector, Alphonso D'Alonzo, 45, of 804 South Fourth
street, and Isaac Anderson, 29, colored, of 837 Bridge
avenue, were
arrested by Policemen Howard Harden and George Clayton. They will be
arraigned in police court today.

The
dog which ran amok and bit five persons in North Camden Saturday night was
suffering from rabies.

That
was announced yesterday by Dr. David B. Helm,
Jr., city sanitary
inspector, after receipt of a telegram from the state board of health In
Trenton. Examination of the head of the dog revealed the animal had
rabies.

The
five victims of the dog who received Pasteur treatment at Cooper Hospital
pending examination of the dog, will continue to be treated, Doctor Helm
said.